PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA INFECTION IN EMBRYONATED HENS EGGS - AN ALTERNATIVE IN-VIVO MODEL FOR THE SCREENING OF ANTIBACTERIAL SUBSTANCES

Embryonated hens' eggs can be reliably infected by Pseudomonas aerugin osa in laboratory experiments. Therapy tests with the antibiotics azlo cillin (GAS 37091-66-0) and gentamicin (GAS 13291-74-2) on this type o f infected hens' eggs demonstrate that this test system offers a reali stic alternative to septic experiments with small laboratory rodents. Chick embryos survive a lethal Pseudomonas infection when azlocillin o r gentamicin in a relevant therapeutic dose are administered immediate ly after the infective agent. The use of Pseudomonas infected chick em bryos in the screening for new antiinfectives allows, therefore, a con siderable reduction of the number of laboratory rodents required.